“What is line? It is life. A line must live at each point along its course in such a way that the artist’s presence makes itself felt above that of the model”

—  Jean Cocteau

"De la Ligne" in La Difficulté d’Etre [The Difficulty of Being] (1947)
Context: What is line? It is life. A line must live at each point along its course in such a way that the artist’s presence makes itself felt above that of the model... With the writer, line takes precedence over form and content. It runs through the words he assembles. It strikes a continuous note unperceived by ear or eye. It is, in a way, the soul’s style, and if the line ceases to have a life of its own, if it only describes an arabesque, the soul is missing and the writing dies.

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Jean Cocteau photo
Jean Cocteau123
French poet, novelist, dramatist, designer, boxing manager … 1889–1963

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